Accordion



' s. RABuAzzo INVEN-ron ACCORDION SALVATORE RABUAZZO Filed oct. '26. '1937 "TZ ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED STA-TES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims. This invention relates to accordions. It is particularly directed to an improved adjusting.

means for the accordion strap.

An object of this invention is to provide in an accordion, highly improved means for taking in or letting out the slack. in the strap for adjusting the strap to accommodate the user.

A further object of this invention is to provid a simple and rugged adjusting means for the strap of an accordion, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple to manipulate, positive in action, and yet practical and eilicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects oi this invention will in part -be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exempliiied in the construction hereinafter described. andof which the scope'of application will be in'- dicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an accordion provided with a strap, and adjusting means therefor embodying the invention;

.fromthe bottom wall I'I.

the invention at one end ofthe strap for taking Y up or letting out the slack in the strap I I.

The accordion Il may be of any suitable construction, and is provided with a base I4 having end walls Il and Il, and a bottom wall I I provided with legs Il, at the corners thereof. Ihe end'wall Il is formed for the purpose hereinafter appearing with a slot Ila parallel to, and spaced Bald end wall I! is also formed with a pair of parallel slots Ilb disposed .perpendicularly to the slot I la, and on opposite sides oi said slot. Said slots IIb are located be'lzwee'ntheslotIlaamithebottomwallI'I.A

ll'lmedtothe under-Infosec! theendlwall Il. areaplirofalignedbrackets, IlandIlm/disposedcentrallybetwaentheslotsllb. The hracketllislocatedclosetothebottomwallll, wharecstbebracketllmislocatedjustbayond the slot lia. Said brackets have downwardly extending aligned ears formed with bearing openings rotatably and non-slidably supporting a 4 screw threaded shaft lsb.

I'he shaftl lib is disposed perpendicularly to 6 the wall I'I .and located between the slots I5b and just below the end wall I5, being parallel thereto. On the shaft lsb and ilxed thereto, is a knurled wheel 20. the upper part whereof, projects through the slot lia, so that a portion there- A10 of may be seen above the end wall I5.

The strap I I is ilat and may be made of leather or any other suitable material. One end 20a thereof overlies and is ilxed to the end wall I6 by means of screws 2| or' in any other suitable man- 15 ner. The strap extends lengthwise and centrally of the bottom wall Il of the base I4. The other end 22 of the strap overlies the end wall II and covers the slots I5b. Said end of said strap is formed with a pair of spaced openings 25 reg- Fixed to, and supported by the lower ends 29 of 2. said screws, and disposed adjacent the inner surface of the wall I5, is a plate 30. Said plate extends perpendicularly to the slots I5b and is formed with a central boss 3l having a screw threaded through opening 32 receiving and en- I.

gas'lng the threads of the shaft Ib. On the strap end 22 is a iiat, transverse washer or gasket Il, formedwith openings 36 through which the screws 2t pass. Finger nuts 31 are screwed to the upper screw threaded ends 28 of the mem- Il .bers 26.

It will now be understood that upon tightening the nuts l1, the strap end 22 will be fixed against movement to the end wall I5. To adjust the slack in the strap, the nuts 31 are iirst loosened and the wheel 2l is then rotated in one direction or the other depending upon whether it is desired to tighten or slacken the strap. Rotation of the wheel 20 in one direction will cause the member 3l to move in one direction due to the 4| threaded Vengagement of'the screw lsb within the threaded opening, of the boss 3l. Rotation of the wheel 2Q in an opposite direct-ion will obviously move 4the member, in the opposite direction. As the wheel 2l is rotated, the memn bers 2l will move together within their respective slots IIb to either tighten or slacken the strap.

After the strap has been properly adjusted, the nuts Il may again be screwed tight toretain the strap in adjusted position.

It will thus be'seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions lof practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. In combination, a wall, a screw threaded shaft rotatably and non-slidably supported by said wall and disposed on one side thereof and parallel thereto, said wall being formed with a slot perpendicular to said shaft, a wheel ilxed on said shaft and having a portion projecting through said slot to the other side of said wall, a strap on said other side of said wall, said wall having a second slot disposed longitudinally of said shaft, a member having screw threaded en gagement with said shaft, and means passing through said second slot and interconnecting said member withsaid strap.

2. In combination, a wall formed with a pair of slots, one perpendicular to the other, a pair oi' brackets on one side of said wall, a screw threaded shaft non-slidably and rotatably supported on said brackets and (disposed perpendlcularly to one of said slots and parallel to the other, a wheel on said screw threaded shaftA projecting through said first slot, a strap, a

member on one end of said strap passing through A said other slot, and means on said member having screw threaded engagement with said shaft..

disposed parallel thereto, a strap on the other side of said wall, a member on said strappassing through said opening, means on said member having threaded engagement with said shaft, and means on said shaft and extending to said other side of said wall for rotating said shaft.

4. An accordion comprising a base having a bottom wall and end walls, one of said end walls having a slot parallel to said bottom wall, and a pair of slots perpendicular to said bottom wall and between' said rst slot and said bottom wall, and on opposite sides of said first slot, a pair of brackets within said accordion and fixed to the inner surface of said end wall, a screw threaded shaft non-slidably and rotatably journaled on said brackets and disposed centrally between and parallel to said pair of slots, a .knurled wheel xed on said shaft projecting trhough said rst slot, a strap attached to the base of the accordion at one end thereof, the other end of said strap being formed with a pair of through openings, a pair of screw threaded members extending through saidopenings and pair of slots,

a plate disposed within said accordion and traversing said pair of slots and iixed to said pair of members and formed with a screw threaded opening receiving and engaging the threads of said shaft, the upper ends of said pairof said screw threaded members extending above said strap end, and screw threaded finger nuts o said pair of screw threaded members.

5. An accordion comprising a base, a strap for said accordion, means for vattaching one end of the strap to said base, said base having a wall formed with a slot, a screw threadedshaft rotatably and non-slidably mounted on said wall and extending longitudinally of said slot, the other end of said strap being formed with an opening, a screw passing through said opening and through said slot, a member on said screw having screw threaded engagement with said shaft, a nut on said screw for attaching said last mentioned end of said strap to said wall, and means for rotating said shaft to adjust the slack on said strap upon unloosening said nut.

6. In combination, a wall having a slot, and a pair of slots perpendicular to said first slot, a

- pair of brackets fixed to one side of said wall,

a screw threaded shaft non-slidably and rotatably mounted on said brackets, and disposed parallel to said wall and centrally between and parallel to said pair of slots,.a knurled wheel fixedy to said shaft projecting through said first slot, a strap on the other side of said wall formed with a pair of through openings, a pair of screw threaded members extending through said openings and pair of slots, a plate on the first side of said wall traversing said pair of slots and fixed to said pair of members, and formed with a screw threaded opening receiving and engaging the threads of said screw threaded shaft, the upper ends of said pair of screw threaded members extending above said strap, and screw threaded finger nuts on said pair of screw threaded members.

7. In an accordion, a base part having a bottom wall and an end` wall, said end wall being formed with a slot parallel to said bottom wall, a rotatable and non-slidable wheel partly projecting through said slot and partly disposed withinsaid base part, said base part having an opening, a strap for said accordion, and a screw threaded connection on. said strap extending in said base part through said opening cooperating with said wheel, for tightening or loosening said strap, upon rotating said wheel.

8. In combination, a housing formed with a slot and an opening, a knurled wheel partly projecting through said slot and -partly disposed within said housing, means on the inside of said housing for rotatably and non-slidably supporting said wheel for rotation about its axis whereby said wheel may be rotated from the outside of said housing, a strap, and means on one end of said strap, extending within said housing through said opening and having a screw threaded connection to said wheel on the inside of said housing, to tighten or loosen said strap, upon rotating said wheel.

. SALVATORE RABUAZZO. 

